Thursday, August 27, 2009

If you think about it, who's really the sucker in this relationship? Jet has to occasionally listen to me, behave within a fairly wide spectrum, and be as cute as possible.

I'm responsible for feeding him, grooming him, being his friend, taking care of his medical hoobajoob, and the monetary cost of all those things combined and whatever I've left out. I have to be careful with Jet, behaving within a much narrower spectrum (being firm but not mean, friendly but not a pushover).

At the end of the day (and throughout it as well) it's worth it. I can never stress enough how good of a dog Jet is at his core. His edges are extremely rough but despite any claims I've made I wouldn't trade him for anything EXCEPT for the puppy version of himself. I would love to get a crack at raising him from day 1 and potentially erasing all the abuse he's suffered and the subsequent psychological problems it's left him with but... that isn't reality. Unfortunately, dogs are just like people that way. Sometimes those problems linger for a lifetime.

I haven't felt compelled to include myself in any of the pictures thus far, but this was a really good shoot with the two of us so I couldn't help myself. They were taken in early July in Griffith Park, at a little picnic area near the Griffith Observatory.

Huskies are notorious crybabies; yelping and yipping for any reason whatsoever. Jet is obviously no exception to this rule. I'd say in this one area he goes above and beyond what you could expect from a regular husky. It's not that they have heightened nervous systems and feel more pain or anything like that; I choose to believe that Jet overreacts.

Getting combed, getting wet, getting pinched, being startled... all great reasons for Jet to cry. Perhaps mammals are hardwired to react to what we consider the sound of crying (or maybe it's just us humans), but the sound of Jet crying is nearly heartbreaking. I have to force myself to keep combing or whatever because after the initial yelp Jet is prone to sitting there and taking it, showing me that he's really just crying wolf.

Ok then, Jet. Maybe next time a wolf is eating food out of your bowl and you cry about it I won't come running.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Everyone knows that if you want to keep El Chupacabra under control, you cover his feet with socks. This way he can't scratch you... or walk on a smooth surface. It's win-win!

The creature wasn't pleased, however. He couldn't quite figure out how to get the socks off, and he was only willing to invest a small amount of energy toward the endeavor in the first place.

As I've said before, Jet er... El Chupacabra is more of a lover than a fighter. Hmm, perhaps more of a nice pal than a lover. Hmm, maybe more like a decent dog than a nice pal. Perhaps more like an apathetic exister that needs to be fed daily than a decent dog. :)